COLUMN SHIFT LINKAGE LOOSE

The column shift linkage on my 1992 Areostar seems to have completely detached inside the column. It has had a problem in recent weeks with misalignment in the dash and been difficult to put into park but today it seeems to have given up. My Haynes manual doesn't seem to have anything to say on this repair. Can anyone walk me through this repair?

First of all you will need to remove the air bag.
Before removing the air bag contact assembly, secure it in place with two pieces of tape .

After removing the steering wheel, lift the upper column shroud off of the steering column

Remove the lower steering column reinforcement brace from under the instrument panel .

Cut-away schematic of the lower steering column
shafts-the firewall seal is held in place by three bolts

All steering column components are assembled with fasteners. They are designed with a thread locking system to prevent loosening due to vibrations associated with normal vehicle operation.

Disconnect the battery ground cable and air bag backup power supply.
Remove the steering wheel as outlined earlier in this section.
Remove the right and left lower mouldings from the instrument panel by pulling them up and snapping them out of the retainers.
Remove the instrument panel lower trim cover.
Remove the air bag clockspring contact assembly as follows:
Apply two strips of tape across the contact assembly stator and rotor to prevent accidental rotation.
Remove the three contact assembly retaining screws, then pull the contact assembly off of the steering column shaft.

Remove the tilt lever by unscrewing it from the steering column.
Remove the four retaining screws from the lower shroud, then remove the column shrouds.
Rotate the key lock cylinder to the RUN position. Using a 1 / 8 in. (3mm) drift, depress the lock cylinder retaining pin through the access hole. Remove the lock cylinder.
Remove the six instrument panel reinforcement brace retaining bolts. Remove the reinforcement.
Disconnect the PRND21 cable from the actuator housing by removing the screw.
Disconnect the PRND21 cable loop from the shift tube hook.
Remove the two combination switch retaining the screws and the two electrical connectors from the switch. Remove the switch from the steering column.
Remove the pinch bolt from the intermediate steering shaft U-joint coupling.
Disconnect the shift cable from the selector lever pivot.
Remove the shift cable from the shift cable bracket by pushing in the tab on the cable, then sliding the cable off the bracket.
While supporting the steering column assembly, remove the four column assembly retaining nuts.
Remove the column out of the vehicle through the passenger compartment.

To install:

Align the column lower universal joint to the lower shaft. Install one bolt and tighten it to 30-42 ft. lbs. (41-57 Nm).
Install the air bag clockspring contact assembly screws. Tighten until snug.
Attach the two combination switch electrical connectors and position the combination switch onto the steering column. Tighten the retaining screws until snug.
Install the shift cable onto the shift cable bracket.
Snap the shift cable onto the shift selector pivot ball.
Install the upper and lower column shrouds.
Install the lock cylinder assembly as described earlier in this section.
Install the tilt lever onto the column.
Support the column assembly against the column support bracket, then install the four retaining nuts to 10-14 ft. lbs. (13-19 Nm).
Attach all electrical connectors.
Attach the PRND21 cable loop onto the shift selector hook, then install the PRND21 cable bracket to the actuator housing. Install the retaining screw to 5-8 ft. lbs. (7-11 Nm).
Install the instrument panel reinforcement brace and secure it with the two retaining bolts. Tighten the bolts until snug.
Install the lower instrument panel cover.
Snap the right and left lower instrument panel mouldings into place.
Install the steering wheel onto the column shaft. Install a new bolt and tighten it to 23-33 ft. lbs. (31-48 Nm).
Position the air bag module onto the steering wheel. Install the four retaining nuts to 3-4 ft. lbs. (4-6 Nm).
Connect the negative battery cable and air bag backup power supply.

When the battery has been disconnected and reconnected, some abnormal drive symptoms may occur while the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) relearns its adaptive strategy. The vehicle may need to be driven 10 miles (16 km) or more to relearn the strategy.